Stewardship Faith Sharing

Stewardship: Discipleship in Various Forms

Below is a stewardship faith sharing guide that can be used in a variety of contexts and settings. Feel free to adapt this material to your group’s purpose, meeting time, and size. Often membership in groups overlaps. To avoid repetition, different questions may be used with different groups or developed related to the agenda of the meeting or local situation. A different Scripture passage, consistent with the theme, could be used. A song might introduce and/or conclude the faith sharing instead of the prayers provided. It is suggested that different members of the group participate as readers of the various sections.

Focus of Session(Leader) Stewardship is discipleship lived out in various forms: both active service for others and quiet listening to Jesus. Service and prayer are the constant cycle of the disciple. Prayer is our private intimacy with God and service is our public intimacy with God.

Opening Prayer (or an appropriate song substitute) (All)
 
God our Father, may we love you in all things and above all things and reach the joy you have prepared for us beyond all our imaging. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
 
Scripture (Reader) (Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time)
 
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke
 
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
 
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.”
 
The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried
about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” The Gospel of the Lord.
 
Experience
 
There was once a man who was trying to read the evening newspaper after he had come home from a rough day at the office. As he attempted to read the paper, he was constantly being interrupted by his children. One child came and asked for money for an ice cream cone, and his father gently reached into his pocket and gave him the necessary coin. Another child arrived in tears. Her leg was hurt and she wanted her daddy to kiss the hurt away. An older son came with an algebra problem, and they eventually arrived at the right answer. Finally, the last and youngest of them all burst into the room looking for good old dad. The father said cynically, “What do you want?” The little youngster said, “Oh, Dad, I don’t want anything. I just want to sit in your lap.” from Stories for All Seasons by Gerard Fuller, O.M.I., published by Twenty-third Publishing
 
Reflection-Faith Sharing: (Choose one or more of the discussion questions, modifying as needed to fit your group/gathering)
 
1) We meet Jesus in those around us, and it isn’t always convenient. Do we try to have Jesus, in the person of others, come to us only when it is convenient?
2) Is being present to another a form of service or ministry?
3) How do you seek to serve while also keeping God-given priorities?
4) What distracts you from the most important things in life like spending time with Jesus?
 
Closing Prayer (or an appropriate song substitute)
 
God our Father, gifts without measure flow from your goodness to bring us your peace. Our life is your gift. Guide our life’s journey, for only your love makes us whole. Keep us strong in your love. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.